The responses from a consultation on the Meat Products (England) Regulations 2014 (MPR 2014), which is due to come into force in December, have been published by Defra.

MPR 2014 will bring English rules on minimum meat content and prohibited parts of the carcase in line with new European legislation. Defra claimed the responses in the consultation, from what it called a representative section of the meat industry, two enforcement authorities and a consumer group, supported its recommendations in the draft Statutory Instrument. “The regulations on minimum meat content and prohibited parts of the carcase will therefore be retained,” it said.

However, responses reported potential confusion in the title, and it has therefore been decided that this will be changed to the Products Containing Meat etc. (England) Regulations 2014.

The legislation will come in on 13 December, replacing the Meat Products Regulations (England) 2003. Parallel legislation will come in simultaneously in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

MPR 2014 “sets minimum meat contents for products using reserved description names... products that do not meet the reserved description criteria cannot be marketed under these names”, explained Defra.

The regulations also prohibit the use of brains, feet, intestine (except as sausage skin), lungs, oesophagus, rectum, spinal cord, spleen, stomach, testicles and udder in meat products produced in the UK where they are sold uncooked.